Jaywick named as England’s most deprived town
March 29 2011
Jaywick’s unwanted accolade was bestowed upon it by the catchily titled Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2010, a government report which calibrated statistics relating to income, employment, health, disability, crime and living standards.
This found that deprivation in the towns Brooklands estate was such that it eclipsed any town in the north.
Located in a high risk flood zone the estate boasts ranks of ‘seasonal’ chalets built in the 1920’s which are now lived in all year round. Four fifths of these are privately rented with ownership concentrated in the hands of a couple of landlords who market the two bedroom homes to housing benefit claimants at £450 a month.
Years of neglect have seen 62% of all working age residents of the dilapidated huts receive benefits on an estate which lacks tarmac roads - and even street lighting and pavements in places.
Neil Stock, Consservative leader of the local council, said the ranking was “embarrassing,” adding: “It is depressing being number one, because we do take this issue very seriously. It's a problem beyond the scope of a district council. We need national and European intervention.”
Images taken by Samuel Judge
Councillors are keen to see the remainder of the estate demolished
Not everyone wants to be beside the seaside
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5 Comments
#2 Posted by Rudy Cuienaer on 25 Aug 2011 at 21:26 PM
In 2009 inquiries were made for funding into Jaywick, mainly the Grassland area, as to be fitted to enter an Park Home situation, this would have attract EU and Charity money, The home owners could stay and live in their homes, but landlords would not be able to rent out the homes other then for holiday's. The obstruction of ECC and TDC was breathtaking. Neil Stock now tells the people EU money is needed, but when it was available it was obstructed. It is TDC doing that the situation is as it is. Deliberate is the Junk status created to get the people out. While the area with not to much cost could be reformed to Holiday purpose under the Park Home laws. It would eradicate most problems without that present occupants are effected, except for the slum landlords of which TDC is one. I was one of the investigators who was talking against the walls, as the people of ECC and TDC where not home!
#3 Posted by Dave Baker on 27 Aug 2011 at 15:17 PM
Its all very well to lay the blame at the door of Landlords, but I'll say again what I've said before. But without the TDC attitude of treating Jaywick like a sink estate, dumping as many people as possible on housing benefit into the area, because the rents were lower and not bothering to enforce its own environmental rules. The much decried Landlords would not have prospered.
So Cllr. Stock sees Jaywick as an embarassment, no where near as big an embarassment as TDC itself is to us who live here. The main reason that Jaywick is viewed as an embarassment and a 'problem' by the powers that be is because it does not conform to the blueprint of towns as conceived by town planners and other so called experts. TDC has over the years actively discouraged and laterly prevented small scale development in the area, all supposedly in the name of flood risk. But given a big development with sufficient infrastructure monies being poured into the council coffers, I'm sure all that would change.
For now TDC and Essex County Council are just happy to use Jaywick as a High profile case for outside funding that can be used in more low profile areas.
So Cllr. Stock sees Jaywick as an embarassment, no where near as big an embarassment as TDC itself is to us who live here. The main reason that Jaywick is viewed as an embarassment and a 'problem' by the powers that be is because it does not conform to the blueprint of towns as conceived by town planners and other so called experts. TDC has over the years actively discouraged and laterly prevented small scale development in the area, all supposedly in the name of flood risk. But given a big development with sufficient infrastructure monies being poured into the council coffers, I'm sure all that would change.
For now TDC and Essex County Council are just happy to use Jaywick as a High profile case for outside funding that can be used in more low profile areas.
#4 Posted by karla storr on 17 Oct 2011 at 21:03 PM
i lird in jaywick til 1984, i am sooo sad such a wonderful place has been left to degrade so much!!!! jaywick sands was always a popular seaside resort for londoners(where i now live :(.....) jaywick holds amamzing memories for lotsof people, and the 'now youth' of jaywick deserve to hae the chance of happy memories........not down trodden ones!!! please revie this once wonderful community to what it was!!!!
#5 Posted by jenny on 18 Jun 2012 at 00:31 AM
we have travellled england to see lovely countryside, and friends who had seaside holidays at jayswick took us there yes it is like shanty town i could not believe landlords charging £450 a week rent for theses slums they are abusing our government and benefits, jayswick however could turn the corner make an effort to polish the place up and it would certainly be a tourist place because it has that uniqueness, so people of jayswick polish your properties and take care of them and england and foreign visitors will love it. The place has a heart in england and you could turn the corner to make it a tourist place
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but not money to save jaywick.
jaywick has been around for many years and should be done up.
its the silly landlords that stick in drug users and drunks that are pulling jaywick down.i say any landlord who dont do there own home up should be give a time limit and if they dont do it by that time limit take the home from them.its not jaywick at all its the fact so many landlords can bend the law they let them out to scum.so i say this.
blame the landlords and the govement for the mess of jaywick..most homes need paint work doing to them but some are to old to go out and do it..some landlords are getting rent for a house thats not fit 2live in makes me wonder how tendring has let this go on.